Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 67, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1918 — DEMOBILIZATION OF FORCES [ARTICLE]

DEMOBILIZATION OF FORCES

In U. 8. to Begin At Once—-Order Already Decided On. Washington, November 16. —Orders have been issued,” Gen. March announced today, for the gradual demobilization of all troops in this country: Demoblilization will ber in the following order; First, development battalions, seventy-one in number and comprising 98,199 men. Second, conscientious objectors not under arrest. Third, spruce production division. Fourth, central training schools for officers with some modifications. Fifth, United States guards, now numbering 135,000 men. Sixth, railway units. 'Seventh, depot brigades. Eighth, replacement units. Ninth, combat divisions.

There are now in the United States 1,790,000 men under arms, General March said. Orders which will result in the immediate demobilization of 200,000 men are already issued, and these men will be at their homes in the next two weeks. In discussing the demobilization plans with senators at their weekly conference today, war department officials said Secretary Baker planned to stop all movement of additional troops to Europe, with the exception of surgical units. When the reduction plan is under full operation, the chief of staff explained, 30,000 men each day will be released from the army. Regarding the return of the troops in France, General March said the order in which the divisions will be withdrawn is being left to General Pershing. It is the intention of the war department, however, so far as is practicable, to return each division to the locality from which the majority of its men came and to parade the division in adjacent cities so that the people may have a chance to give fitting welcome. As an example, he said, the New England soldiers might be brought to Camp Devens and parade in Boston and other cities. ‘Orders have been cabled to General Pershing to begin the return at once of all casuals, sick and wounded who can be moved and convalescents. A steady stream of .these men should Win immediately to cross the Atlantic. Camps at home will be cleared out to prepare for the return of the expeditionary forces, and the general indicated that the process would be expedited. A unit- of regular troops will be left at each camp to guard and police It in preparation for the arrival of the units. Because of its unusual composition, General March said, and its brilliant record at the front, the 42d (Rainbow) division will re-

ceive special consideration in the demobilization plans.* The purpose of the department was not outlined specifically, but the impression was gained that the division will be paraded in Washington before it is mustered out. Steps already have been taken toward the organization of the permanent army. All men now in the army have been or will receive the offer of an honorable discharge from the emergency enlistment and an immediate re-en-listment in the new forces. A furlough of one month will be given as an incentive to re-enlist-ment.

It was anounced that the congress will be asked to give each man discharged from the army, regardless of whether he re-en-lists, a bonus of one month’s salary. General March pointed out also that all soldiers are entitled under the law to wear their uniforms for three months after discharge. This will make less difficult the immediate task of supplying civilian clothing to the demobilized army. The return of commissioned personnel of the army to civilian life, General March said, would be effected by dividing the present list of officers into three classes, those who desire commissions In} the regular army, those who are willing to hold themselves available for future service as reserve officers

and those who desire honorable discharge from the service. Instructions have been Issued to the army staff corps te carry out reduction in their commissioned and enlisted personnel lists, keeping pace with the reduction of the line forces. General March Sketched the official line held by the allied armies and the Americans along the west front when the fighting stopped. The front held by the Ist and 2d American armies at that hour measured fifty-two miles. Of the American force General March said: "It had reached Its highest point of military excellence on the day the fighting stopped and had endeared itself to the hearts of the American people.’’ Ports of the Atlantic coast from Boston to Charleston, S. C., General March said, are being organized to handle returning troops, and it is possible that ports south of Charleston will be used. General Pershing has been directed to expedite complete casualty lists of his forces, showing the names *'of every man killed or wounded or missing up to 11 a. m., November 11. General March would not hazard an estimate as to what the final total would be. Replying to a question as to the number of American prisoners in Germany, he said, official records up to October 15 gave the total as 5,738.

The question of final disposition of the great cantonments is being studied, General March said, and j no decision has been reached. New construction already largely has been stopped. Pending the signing of the peace pact it will be necessary, under the terms of the armistice, for troops of the allies and the United States to occupy certain parts of Germany, Austria and Turkey, but the expectation is that these troops will all be withdrawn promptly on the establishment of peace. If from now on, things move smoothly in Europe, if, under the terms of the armistice, the armies of the allies and the United States are able to enter on their occupation duties without any , friction with the Germans, the Austrians and the Turks, and if conditions generally throughout central Europe seem too be coming back to the normal, the United States at once will begin to bring troops home. It was said at the war department today that probably within the next two or three weeks, certainly within, the next month, a definite decision could be reached as to whether it will be wise to bring any of the divisions home at once. But the secretary of war, as well as the members of the general staff, would caution the people of the coountry not to build too many hopes on the assumption that any considerable part of the expedtlonary force will get home before spring. The war department Is being deluged with suggestions and requests in regard to the return of the expeditionary forces. Nearly every city of consequence desires to welcome the »units tn which it is especially interested. On the eve of the departure for Europe to arrange details of the homeward trip of American troops, Edward N. Hurley, of the United States shipping board, said In New York last night that to offset the loss of transport tonnage through the withdrawal of British ships hitherto engaged in carrying Americans overseas, he hoped to use twenty-five or thirty German and Austrian liners, with accommodation for 4,600 men each. In compensation for the “loan’’ of these vessels, he said, food would be sent to the people of central Europe on the return voyages. Mr. Hurley said the shipping board would be able to bring troops back at the rate of 300,000

a month, "if the war department wants them returned as fast aa that.” He would meet *Gcneral Pershing at American field headquarters, he added, to discuss the details of their home coming. While he will go abroad with Herbert Hoover, federal food administrator, to co-operate in arrangements for the shipment and distribution of foodstuffs to regions liberated under the armistice terms and in a degree later to be determined to Germany and Austria. Mr. Wurley said his mission had primarily to do with "getting the boys back home.” There are slxty-eeven transports flying the American flag, Mr. Hurley said, and it is hoped that these, with German and Austrian liners which he figures on using temporarily, will suffice to bring American soldiers home as rapidly as the military authorities desire. If their capacity proves he added, the shipping board has 125 double-deck cargo steamers, some of which can be transformed for transport work. He is reluctant, however, to withdraw these from freight service except in an emergency.

Mr. Hurley said he would take up with the allied maritime transport council in London, which would in turn confer with the German and Austrian maritime authorities, the question of utilising some of the idle tonnage of ' the central powers. There were j fifteen liners at Hamburg and Bremen, he stated, and ten or fifteen in Austrian ports, which could carry in the aggregate 100,000 men on each voyage to American porta, returning with food or other neceaI'sary cargoes. British transports, he stated, which have carried 60 per cent of the American troops bound oversea® since the military program was increased early last summer,’ will be utilized to convey British dominion and colonial troops back to their home countries. *The following Jasper county young men left Rensselaer in August, 1917, from old Co. M, to join the Rainbow division: William F. Reed, Fair Oaks; Emery Nixon, Frankfort; 'Howard J. 't.Ames, Rensselaer; Harmon Clayton, Rensselaer; William Potts, Fair Oaks; Harry M. Hays, Rensselaer; Edward Rensselaer; Weeley Hurley, Rensselaer; Ad Clinton, Rensselaer, and Ford McColly, •Wheatfield. None of these boys have been killed, so far as known at this time, but McColly was quite badly wounded and Peregrine was gassed.